I have both programs on my computer and wonder that since they appear to do the same thing, is it redundant to have both? Thanks in advance.
One of the big things Malwarebytes did was to purchase
ADW cleaner and integrate it into their software. ADW, at a few points in time, was able to pinpoint issues that Malwarebytes could not. Malwarebytes, in general, is great. If you encounter additional issues that Malwarebytes cannot deal with look for Hitman Pro (free trial) and SUPERAntiSpyware. I have not had to use SUPERAntiSpyware in years, but it used to work very well with XP systems that were seriously compromised (we are talking compromised over and over with multiple forms of malware/ransomware/adware whereas multiple anti-virus and anti-malware programs had to be used).
In a situation like that, it is highly advisable to reformat everything and re-install Windows (in fact, this is the official advice given by Microsoft and almost unanimously, by security companies, if your system ever is seriously compromised).
But for passive and active monitoring I would use Malwarebytes as a go-to. While I am not running ESET Smart Security on this system, I do run it on my mobile devices for anti-theft protection. This can slow down Windows a little, but if you want complete AV protection and aren't happy with Windows Defender, this can do the trick. Its important to note that the next major update to Windows will include very substantial updates to Defender, however.